The "everything app" is making a comeback.
Invigorated by AI's capabilities, tech companies are again dusting off their plans for building an app that does everything, reports BI's Hugh Langley.
Google and OpenAI recently killed off projects, opting instead to migrate those features into their main offerings. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella even used the term "super app" when describing future plans for Copilot.
So what even is a super app? Imagine having multiple services you regularly use — payments, messaging, social media, etc. — all in one place. China's WeChat is widely considered the gold standard, but the concept is common across Southeast Asia.
Tech giants aren't necessarily looking to replicate WeChat this time around. This type of super app is about consolidating all the AI tools someone might need in one place. The idea is a more seamless workflow that won't require users to work across multiple apps.
Even if it's a new iteration, history hasn't been kind to these types of efforts in the US.
The world's richest man hasn't been able to pull it off. Elon Musk teased plans to turn what was then known as Twitter into a super app called X back in 2023. (At least he got half of it right!)
The X Money debit cards show Musk hasn't given up hope yet. And there's a reason companies are eager to create super apps. As I wrote back in 2023:
"Think about the revenue that type of app would generate. Think about the data that type of app would collect."
So can tech companies finally plant the super app flag in the US?
Super apps success in Asia was largely due to timing. E-commerce took off in the US before it did in Asia. That meant markets like China were more open to super apps than the US, where incumbents were already established and harder to disrupt.
AI's still early, and that might be exactly why this is the moment to try consolidating power as companies get their footing.
Bundling services, in general, has fallen out of favor with US customers over the past decade. Cable TV is bleeding subscribers. People's financial lives are fragmented across multiple apps. We can't even agree on what social media platform to use.
That's also becoming a hot topic in AI. Executives like Alex Karp are touting the need for AI sovereignty to avoid models taking control of companies' data and workflows. A super app is the antithesis of that.
However, the benefits might be too good to pass up.
The tech is perfect for an everything app. It's not just having all the things you use every day in one place. It's an AI that sits across it all, helping you navigate your day-to-day tasks.
And at a time when companies are desperate to show the returns they're getting from investing big in AI, a super app could be the shortcut they need to realize those gains.
Dan is the lead writer for BI Today, Business Insider's flagship daily newsletter. Dan often interviews executives about everything from AI's impact on capitalism to robotics to the potential SaaSpocalypse as part of his work on the newsletter.Dan was an editor and reporter at BI, covering financial technology and market structure.His previous work includes everything from inside Robinhood's failed "Checking and Savings" product that eventually led to Congress getting involved to the internal arguments over JPMorgan's failed attempt to launch a finance app for millennials.Before joining Business Insider, Dan wrote about risk management in derivatives markets for Risk.net and fintech for WatersTechnology. He initially covered local sports for The Journal News, a daily newspaper serving the lower Hudson Valley. Got a tip? Contact this editor via email at [email protected].
